The atypical Atipica Air 2 – so, a successor – by DAINESE is atypical because it is somewhere on the crossroads between a sneaker, a training shoe and a comfortable city shoe. And you can add the comfort of house slippers as well.
Now, is that really atypical, we ask. DAINESE has a longer history of not confining itself to the mere sporty ones. The Atipica Air 2 is evidently built based on technical, motor-sporty materials but in this version, they become really accessible and especially, really comfortable. Your feet really feel at ease in these.
The result is a pair of ankle-high, road-legal motorbike shoes with laces, in mesh material and finished with a layer of ‘hot melt’ coating. There’s an active airstream inside which ensures that the inner temperature never really soars. As smooth to walk the market plaza as they are to ride across it. Admittedly, they are not waterproof and they are well-ventilated (Air) but clearly also sufficiently padded to endure a thing or two. Flexible, yet sturdy.
Motorbike shoes with style and a dose of Italian flair. As you can see: a lot of ‘and’. The Atipica Air is a connecting shoe, no either/or here. To choose is to lose – we’ve said it before – but in this case, it’s not really choosing. Or is it: for a large number of possibilities.
Apart from the pretty wear-resistant exterior, the true impact protection comes from a few different sides. There is the PU-reinforcement right below the ankles that a few centimetres down changes into a type of toe slider. The gear lever protection has been integrated in the shoe tip which makes for a perfect picture. If you feel around in the interior, you’ll discover a whole lot more rigidity. No bulletproof cups like in racing boots but enough robustness to stay safe on the road.
With the soft mesh lining, the finishing at DAINESE level and especially the high comfort level, this Atipica Air 2 is a superb city motorbike shoe. The combination of the Groundtrax®-soles and an Ortholite-footbed ensure a high level of stepping comfort.
The laces are relatively high up. Whoever hides the ends in the typical way doesn’t need to worry at all and even when you don’t, the risk of hiccups is rather small; there’s an elastic band that runs over the tongue of the shoe that is perfect for stowing away loose lace loops.
Another certainty is that we’re fans of the reflective strip in the heel.
